Abstract:

Provided is a digital image processing apparatus which can reduce the
level of noise that is caused by a hand shake correcting operation of a
hand shake correction mechanism and is recorded when sound is recorded.
The digital image processing apparatus includes: a hand shake detecting
unit installed in a main body and measuring hand shake resulting in
movement of the main body during photographing; a hand shake correcting
unit correcting the hand shake and generating hand shake correction sound
due to its hand shake correcting operation; a recording unit receiving
external sound to be recorded; and a control unit controlling the hand
shake correcting unit to reduce the hand shake correction sound when the
recording unit records the received external sound.

2. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:a
lens and lens control unit, the lens control unit configured to move the
lens; and wherein the hand shake correcting unit is configured to correct
the hand shake by moving the lens based on the hand shake signal.

4. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
apparatus is configured to adjust a recording level of the recording unit
based on the amount of noise generated by the hand shake correcting unit.

5. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:a
zoom adjusting unit configured to adjust a zoom level of an input image
signal; and wherein the apparatus is configured to adjust a recording
level of the recording unit according to the zoom level.

6. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the
recording level is reduced when the zoom level is low, the low zoom level
indicating a subject of the image is close to the digital image
processing apparatus.

7. A digital image processing apparatus comprising:a hand shake detecting
unit installed in a main body and generating a hand shake signal by
measuring hand shake resulting in movement of the main body during
photographing;a hand shake correcting unit correcting the hand shake and
generating hand shake correction sound due to its hand shake correcting
operation;a recording unit receiving external sound to be recorded; anda
control unit controlling the hand shake correcting unit, by receiving the
hand shake signal, to reduce the hand shake correction sound when the
recording unit records the received external sound.

11. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the
control unit receives the hand shake signal and the operation detection
signal, generates an operation signal for driving the operating unit in
order to correct the hand shake, and outputs the operation signal to the
operation driving unit.

12. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the
control unit controls the hand shake correcting unit to reduce the hand
shake correction sound by adjusting a control gain of the hand shake
correcting unit.

13. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the
operating unit is a lens or an image pickup device which is moved by the
operation driving unit.

14. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the
operation detecting sensor is a position sensor that detects the position
of the lens or the image pickup device.

15. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the
recording unit comprises:a microphone receiving the external sound; anda
microphone control unit adjusting a recording gain that determines a
recording level of the external sound received by the microphone.

16. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the
control unit generates a microphone control signal, which comprises the
recording gain that is determined according to the hand shake correction
sound, and outputs the microphone control signal to the microphone
control unit.

17. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 16, further comprising
a zoom adjusting unit adjusting a zoom level of an input image
signal,wherein a recording gain of the recording unit is adjusted
according to the zoom level.

18. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the
control unit determines the recording gain according to the hand shake
correction sound and noise input through the recording unit.

19. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the
control unit comprises:a hand shake correction amount calculating unit
calculating a hand shake correction amount from the hand shake signal and
the operation detection signal which are converted into digital
signals;an operation gain adjusting unit adjusting an operation gain of
the operating unit to reduce the hand shake correction sound when the
recording unit records the received external sound; anda recording
control unit outputting a microphone control signal for controlling a
recording level of recorded sound.

20. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the
recording control unit controls the operation gain adjusting unit to
adjust the operation gain when the recording unit records the received
external sound.

21. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the
recording control unit determines a recording gain that determines the
recording level according to at least one of a zoom level of a zoom lens,
external noise, and the operation gain.

22. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 21, further comprising
a storage unit storing a gain database of the operation gain and the
recording gain that is determined according to at least one of the zoom
level and a level of the external noise,wherein the recording gain and
the operation gain are determined from the gain database.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

[0001]This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.
10-2008-0112208, filed on Nov. 12, 2008, in the Korean Intellectual
Property Office, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by
reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]1. Field of the Invention

[0003]The disclosure of a digital image processing apparatus relates to a
digital image processing apparatus including a hand shake correction unit
and a microphone for recording sound.

[0004]2. Description of the Related Art

[0005]Examples of a digital image processing apparatus include a digital
camera, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a phone camera, and a
personal computer (PC) camera which process an image or use an image
sensor.

[0006]A digital image processing apparatus displays images, which are
received from an image pickup device, on an image display device, and
allows a user to capture a desired image and store the captured desired
image in an image file format.

[0007]A user's hand may shake while capturing images, for example taking
pictures or movies, with a digital image processing apparatus resulting
in a blurry image being captured. A digital image processing apparatus
may include a hand shake correction device that compensates for the hand
shake in order to improve the quality of the captured image. The hand
shake correction device may generate noise by moving mechanical parts.
Additionally, the digital image processing apparatus may provide the
ability to record sound while capturing images, which may provide the
user with more enjoyment by permitting the user to hear the recorded
sounds while viewing the captured images.

[0008]Users of the digital image processing device may want the image
quality improved by compensating for hand shake and may want to record
sound while recording the images.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009]Therefore, there is a need in the art for a digital apparatus
including a recording unit configured to record sound; a hand shake
detecting unit configured to measure hand shake and generate a hand shake
signal indicative of the measured hand shake; and a hand shake correcting
unit configured to correct the hand shake based on the hand shake signal
and configured to reduce an amount of noise generated in correcting hand
shake when the recording unit is recoding sound.

[0010]The digital image processing apparatus may include a lens and lens
control unit. The lens control unit may be configured to move the lens.
The hand shake correcting unit may be configured to correct the hand
shake by moving the lens based on the hand shake signal.

[0011]The hand shake correcting unit may reduce the amount of noise
generated in correcting hand shake by reducing the movement the lens.

[0012]The digital image processing apparatus may be configured to adjust a
recording level of the recording unit based on the amount of noise
generated by the hand shake correcting unit.

[0013]The digital image processing apparatus may include a zoom adjusting
unit configured to adjust a zoom level of an input image signal, wherein
the apparatus is configured to adjust a recording level of the recording
unit according to the zoom level.

[0014]According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a digital image processing apparatus comprising: a hand shake
detecting unit installed in a main body and generating a hand shake
signal by measuring hand shake resulting in movement of the main body
during photographing; a hand shake correcting unit correcting the hand
shake and generating hand shake correction sound due to its hand shake
correcting operation; a recording unit receiving external sound to be
recorded; and a control unit controlling the hand shake correcting unit,
by receiving the hand shake signal, to reduce the hand shake correction
sound when the recording unit records the received external sound.

[0016]The hand shake detecting sensor may be at least one of an angular
velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor.

[0017]The hand shake correcting unit may comprise: an operating unit
operating in order to correct the hand shake; an operation detecting
sensor detecting the operation of the operating unit; an amplifier
amplifying a signal detected by the operation detecting sensor and
generating an operation detection signal; and an operation driving unit
driving the operating unit.

[0018]The control unit may receive the hand shake signal and the operation
detection signal, generate an operation signal for driving the operating
unit in order to correct the hand shake, and output the operation signal
to the operation driving unit.

[0019]The operation detecting sensor may be a position sensor that detects
the position of the lens or the image pickup device.

[0020]The recording unit may comprise: a microphone receiving the external
sound; and a microphone control unit adjusting a recording gain that
determines a recording level of the external sound received by the
microphone.

[0021]The control unit may generate a microphone control signal, which
comprises the recording gain that is determined according to the hand
shake correction sound, and output the microphone control signal to the
microphone control unit.

[0022]The control unit may comprise: a hand shake correction amount
calculating unit calculating a hand shake correction amount from the hand
shake signal and the operation detection signal which are converted into
digital signals; an operation gain adjusting unit adjusting an operation
gain of the operating unit to reduce the hand shake correction sound when
the recording unit records the received external sound; and a recording
control unit outputting a microphone control signal for controlling a
recording level of recorded sound.

[0023]The recording control unit may control the operation gain adjusting
unit to adjust the operation gain when the recording unit records the
received external sound.

[0024]The recording control unit may determine a recording gain that
determines the recording level according to at least one of a zoom level
of a zoom lens, external noise, and the operation gain.

[0025]The digital image processing apparatus may further comprise a
storage unit storing a gain database of the operation gain and the
recording gain that is determined according to at least one of the zoom
level and a level of the external noise, wherein the recording gain and
the operation gain are determined from the gain database.

[0026]Accordingly, the digital image processing apparatus can reduce the
level of noise that is caused by a hand shake correcting operation of a
hand shake correction mechanism and is recorded when sound is recorded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027]The above and other features and advantages of the present invention
will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments
thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0028]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the front and the top of
an example of a digital image processing apparatus, e.g., a digital
camera'

[0029]FIG. 2 illustrates the back of the digital image processing
apparatus of FIG. 1;

[0030]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a control device included
in the digital image processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

[0031]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a digital image
processing apparatus; and

[0032]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example of a control unit of the
digital image processing apparatus of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033]The disclosure of the digital image processing apparatus will now be
described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0034]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the front and the top of
an example of a digital image processing apparatus 10, e.g., a digital
camera, according to an embodiment of the disclosure of a digital image
processing apparatus.

[0035]Referring to FIG. 1, in the front and the top, the digital image
processing apparatus 10 includes a self-timer lamp 11, a flash 12, a
flash-light amount sensor 13, a remote receiving unit 14, a lens unit 15,
a front surface 17 of a view finder, a power switch 23, a shutter button
26, and a microphone MIC.

[0036]In a self-timer mode, the self-timer lamp 11 operates for a
predetermined period of time from when the shutter button 26 is pressed
to when the shutter button 26 starts to operate. When the flash 12
operates, the flash-light amount sensor 13 senses the amount of light,
and inputs the sensed amount of light to a digital signal processor DSP
207 (see FIG. 3) by using a micro-controller 212 (see FIG. 3).

[0037]The remote receiving unit 14 receives a command signal, for example,
a photographing command signal, from a remote controller (not shown) and
inputs the received command signal to the digital signal processor DSP
207 by using the micro-controller 212.

[0038]Sound may be input through the microphone MIC. The sound input
through the microphone MIC may be recorded by the micro-controller 212
and/or the digital signal processor DSP 207 and then stored in a storage
medium.

[0039]The microphone MIC may be disposed in the front of a main body 10a
in order to receive sound coming from a subject. The microphone MIC of
FIG. 1 may correspond to a microphone MIC of FIG. 3.

[0040]In the inside of the main body 10a, the digital image processing
apparatus 10 may include a hand shake detecting unit 216 and a hand shake
correcting unit 217 (see FIG. 3). The hand shake detecting unit 216 may
detect a handshake resulting in movement of the main body 10a, and the
hand shake correcting unit 217 may correct the hand shake. The hand shake
correcting unit 217 may move a lens or an image pickup device in order to
correct the hand shake by operating a driving unit including a motor.
Noise may be caused by a hand shake correcting operation of the hand
shake correcting unit 217.

[0041]Sound generated by the subject may be input through the microphone
MIC and then be recorded. The hand shake correcting operation may be
performed while the sound generated by the subject is recorded. In this
case, the noise caused by the correcting of the hand shake may be input
through the microphone MIC and recorded along with the sound generated by
the subject which is desired to be recorded by a user.

[0042]In general, sound caused by the hand shake correcting operation may
be noise, not sound desired to be recorded. Accordingly, if recording is
performed while the hand shake correcting operation is performed, the
noise caused by the hand shake correcting operation shake may be recorded
along with the sound desired to be recorded.

[0043]The level of sound to be recorded may be reduced. However, in this
case, not only the level of noise but also the level of desired sound are
reduced.

[0044]Accordingly, since the digital image processing apparatus 10 of FIG.
1 controls the hand shake correcting unit 217 to reduce sound (referred
to as hand shake correction sound hereinafter) caused by a hand shake
correcting operation while recording is performed, the digital image
processing apparatus 10 can reduce the level of the hand shake correction
sound that is not desired by the user.

[0045]The digital image processing apparatus 10 can control the hand shake
correcting unit 217 to reduce the hand shake correction sound, and
accordingly can adjust a recording level of sound recorded by the
microphone MIC. As a result, the hand shake correction sound can be
reduced and the desired sound to be recorded by the user can be more
clearly input and recorded.

[0046]An example of the back of the digital image processing apparatus 10
may include a direction button 21, a menu-OK button 22, a wide angle-zoom
button W, a telephoto-zoom button T, a speaker SP, and a display panel
25.

[0047]The direction button 21 may include 4 buttons in total, that is, an
up button 21a, a down button 21b, a left button 21c, and a right button
21d. The direction button 21 and the menu-OK button 22 are pressed to
execute various menu items concerning the operation of the digital image
processing apparatus 10.

[0048]The wide angle-zoom button W or the telephoto-zoom button T is
pressed in order to widen or narrow the angle of view. In particular, the
wide angle-zoom button W and the telephoto-zoom button T may be used to
change the size of a selected exposure area. If the wide angle-zoom
button W is pressed, the size of the selected exposure area may be
increased, and if the telephoto-zoom button T is pressed, the size of the
selected exposure area may be decreased.

[0049]The display panel 25 may be an image display device, such as a
liquid crystal display (LCD). Sound input through and recorded by the
microphone MIC may be output through the speaker SP.

[0050]An objective lens and an ocular lens may be respectively disposed on
the front surface 17 and a rear surface 27 of the view finder which are
respectively arranged in the front and the back of the digital image
processing apparatus 10.

[0051]The shutter release button 26 is pressed to open and close a shutter
in order to expose the image pickup device, such as a charge coupled
device (CCD), or a film to light for a predetermined period of time.
Also, the shutter release button 26 works in conjunction with an aperture
(not shown) to properly expose the subject and record an image picked up
by the image pickup device.

[0052]An example of a digital image processing apparatus and an example of
an apparatus and method for controlling the same, to which the present
invention can be applied, is disclosed in US Patent Publication No.
2004/0130650, entitled "Method of Automatically Focusing Using Quadratic
Function in Camera," the entire contents of which is incorporated herein
by reference.

[0053]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a control device 200
included in the digital image processing apparatus of FIG. 1. The control
device 200 may be installed in the digital image processing apparatus 10
of FIG. 1.

[0054]Referring to FIG. 3, an optical system OPS including a lens unit and
a filter unit optically processes light bounding from a subject to be
photographed. The lens unit of the optical system OPS includes a zoom
lens, a focus lens, and a compensation lens. If the user presses the wide
angle-zoom button W or the telephoto-zoom button T, which are included in
a user input unit INP, a corresponding signal is input to the
micro-controller 212. Then, the micro-controller 212 controls a lens
driving unit 210 such that a zoom motor MZ is driven to move the
zoom lens. If the wide angle-zoom button W is pressed, a focal length of
the zoom lens is reduced and thus the angle of view is widened, and if
the telephoto-zoom button T is pressed, a focal length of the zoom lens
is increased and thus the angle of view is narrowed.

[0055]In an auto focusing mode, a main controller embedded in the digital
signal processor DSP 207 controls the lens driving unit 210 by using the
micro-controller 212 to drive a focus motor MF such that the focus
motor MF moves the focus lens to a position where a clearest image
can be obtained.

[0056]The compensation lens is not additionally driven because the
compensation lens compensates for an overall refractive index. An
aperture motor MA is used to drive the aperture (not shown).

[0057]The filter unit of the optical system OPS includes an optical low
pass filter, which removes high-frequency optical noise, and an infrared
cut filter, which blocks an infrared component of incident light.

[0058]A photoelectric converting unit OEC may include the image pickup
device such as a CCD or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS).
The photoelectric converting unit OEC converts light received from the
optical system OPS into an electrical analog signal.

[0059]An analog-digital converting unit may include a correlation double
sampler and analog-to-digital converter (CDS-ADC) 201. The analog-digital
converting unit processes the analog signal received from the
photoelectric converting unit OEC to remove high frequency noise from the
analog signal and adjusts an amplitude, and converts the analog signal
into a digital signal. Here, the digital signal processor DSP 207
controls the operation of the analog-digital converting unit and the
photoelectric converting unit OEC by controlling a timing circuit 202.

[0060]A real time clock RTC 203 provides time information to the digital
signal processor DSP 207. The digital signal processor DSP 207 processes
the digital signal received from the CDS-ADC 201 to generate a digital
image signal including a brightness signal Y and color signals R, G, and
B.

[0061]Examples of a light emitting unit LAMP, which is driven by the
micro-controller 212 under the control of the main controller embedded in
the digital signal processor DSP 207, may include a self-timer lamp, an
auto-focus lamp, a mode indicator lamp, and a flash-ready lamp. The user
input unit INP may include the direction button 21, the wide angle-zoom
button W, and the telephoto-zoom button T.

[0062]A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 204 may temporarily store the
digital image signal received from the digital signal processor DSP 207.
An electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) 205
stores setting data and methods, such as a booting program and a key
input program, which are necessary for the operation of the digital
signal processor DSP 207. A memory card may be attached to a memory card
interface MCI 206.

[0064]The digital image signal coming from the digital signal processor
DSP 207 may be transmitted through a universal serial bus (USB)
connection unit 31a, or an RS 232C interface 208 and a connection unit
31b over a serial communication network. Alternatively, the digital image
signal may be transmitted as a video signal through a video filter 209
and a vide output unit 31c.

[0066]An audio processor 213 outputs an audio signal received from the
microphone MIC to the digital signal processor DSP 207 or the speaker SP,
and outputs an audio signal received from the digital signal processor
DSP 207 to the speaker SP.

[0067]The hand shake detecting unit 216 may be installed in the main body
10a (see FIG. 1) and may measure a hand shake resulting in movement of
the main body 10a during photographing. The hand shake correcting unit
217 may correct the hand shake by moving the lens unit or the image
pickup device to compensate for hand shake detected by the hand shake
detecting unit 216.

[0068]When the hand shake is corrected by moving the lens unit or the
image pickup device, hand shake correction sound may be generated due to
the operation of the driving unit 210 including the motor. Accordingly,
the hand shake correction noise may be reduced by controlling the hand
shake correcting unit 217 to reduce the hand shake correction noise
during recording.

[0069]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a digital image
processing apparatus 400 according to another embodiment of the
disclosure of the digital image processing apparatus.

[0070]The digital signal processor DSP 207 and/or the micro-controller 212
of FIG. 3 may be included in an example of a control unit 500 of FIG. 4.
The hand shake detecting unit 216 and the hand shake correcting unit 217
of FIG. 3 may correspond to a hand shake detecting unit 410 and a hand
shake correcting unit 420 of FIG. 4, respectively.

[0071]The microphone MIC and the audio processor 213 of FIG. 3 may perform
functions of a microphone 431 and a microphone control unit 432 included
in a recording unit 430 of FIG. 4, respectively. The zoom lens and the
driving unit 210 included in the lens unit may perform functions of a
zoom lens 451 and a zoom control unit 452 included in a zoom adjusting
unit 450 of FIG. 4, respectively.

[0072]At least one of memory cards recognized by the DRAM 204, the EEPROM
205, and the memory card interface MCI 206 may correspond to a storage
unit 460 of FIG. 4.

[0073]FIG. 5 is an example of a block diagram of the control unit 500
included in the digital image processing apparatus 400 of FIG. 4.

[0075]The hand shake detecting unit 410 may be installed in the main body
10a (see FIG. 1) and may measure hand shake resulting in movement of the
main body 10a during photographing. The hand shake correcting unit 420
for correcting the hand shake may generate hand shake correction noise
due to its hand shake correcting operation.

[0076]The recording unit 430 may record external sound. The control unit
500 may control the hand shake correcting unit 420 to reduce the hand
shake correction noise when the recording unit 430 performs recording. To
reduce the correction noise, the control unit 500 may control the hand
shake correcting unit 420 to reduce the hand shake correction sound by
adjusting an operation gain corresponding to a control gain of the hand
shake correcting unit 420.

[0077]If recording is performed while the hand shake correcting operation
is performed, the control unit 500 may reduce the hand shake correction
noise, which is not desired by the user, by controlling the hand shake
correcting unit 420 to reduce the hand shake correction noise.

[0078]In addition or alternatively, the control unit 500 may control the
recording unit 430 to adjust a recording level of the recording unit 430
according to the hand shake correction noise.

[0079]The digital image processing apparatus 400 of FIG. 4 can reduce the
hand shake correction sound by controlling the hand shake correcting unit
420, and accordingly can adjust a recording level of sound recorded by
the microphone MIC. As a result, the hand shake correction noise can be
reduced and desired sound to be recorded by the user can be more clearly
input and recorded.

[0080]The digital image processing apparatus 400 may further include the
zoom adjusting unit 450 that adjusts a zoom level of an input image
signal. The control unit 500 may control the recording unit 430 to adjust
a recording level of the recording unit 430 according to the zoom level.

[0081]To this end, the zoom level may be divided into a plurality of zoom
levels, and the recording level may be adjusted according to each of the
plurality of zoom levels. For example, the zoom level may be divided into
a wide angle zoom level, a middle zoom level, and a telephoto zoom level.

[0082]In the wide angle zoom level when the subject is likely located
close to the digital image processing apparatus 400, the recoding level
may be reduced, and in the telephoto zoom level when the subject is
likely located far from the digital image processing apparatus 400, the
recording level may be increased. In the middle zoom level between the
wide angle zoom level and the telephoto zoom level, the recording level
may be a middle value between the recording levels of the wide angle zoom
level and the telephoto zoom level.

[0083]The recording level may be adjusted by adjusting a mic gain of the
microphone 431 included in the recording unit 430. After mic gains may be
previously obtained according to the plurality of zoom levels of the zoom
level, arranged into a look up table, and stored in the storage unit 460,
a mic gain corresponding to a current zoom level may be determined by
referring to the look up table.

[0084]Accordingly, if the subject is located far from the image processing
apparatus 400, recording may be performed by increasing the recording
level, and if the subject is located close to the image processing
apparatus 400, recording may be performed by reducing the recording
level. The recording may be performed by varying the recording level to
an appropriate level depending on the position of the subject.

[0085]Alternatively and/or in addition, the recording level of the
recording unit 430 may be adjusted according to a level of external
noise. That is, after a noise component is detected from sound input and
recorded by the recording unit 430, the recording level may be adjusted
according to the concentration of the noise component.

[0086]The hand shake detecting unit 410 for measuring hand shake during
photographing may include a hand shake detecting sensor 411 and an
amplifier 412. The hand shake detecting sensor 411 may detect the degree
of the hand shake. The amplifier 412 may amplify a signal detected by the
hand shake detecting sensor 411 and generate a hand shake signal.

[0087]The hand shake signal may be an analog signal indicating the degree
of the hand shake. The hand shake detecting sensor 411 may be at least
one of an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor.

[0089]The operating unit 421 may operate in order to correct the hand
shake. The operation detecting sensor 422 may detect the operation of the
operating unit 421. The amplifier 423 may amplify a signal detected by
the operation detecting sensor 422 and generate an operation detection
signal. The operation driving unit 424 may drive the operating unit 421.

[0090]The control unit 500 may receive the hand shake signal and the
operation detection signal, and generate an operation signal for driving
the operating signal 421 in order to correct the hand shake. The
operation signal generated by the control unit 500 may be input to the
operation driving unit 424. The operation driving unit 424 may move the
operating unit 421 according to the operation signal to correct the hand
shake indicated by the hand shake signal.

[0091]In order to reduce hand shake correction noise, which is noise
caused by the hand shake correcting operation, the control unit 500 may
control the hand shake correcting unit 420 to reduce the hand shake
correction sound by adjusting a control gain of the hand shake correcting
unit 420.

[0092]The operating unit 421, which operates in order to correct the hand
shake, may be the lens unit or the image pickup device of FIG. 3. The
operation detecting sensor 422 may be a position sensor detecting the
position of the lens unit or the image pickup device.

[0093]The recording unit 430, which receives and records external sound,
may include the microphone 431 and the microphone control unit 432. The
microphone 431 may receive sound. The microphone control unit 432, which
controls the microphone 431, may adjust a recording gain that determines
a recording level of sound input through the microphone 431.

[0094]The control unit 500 may generate a microphone control signal
including the recording gain and output the generated microphone control
signal to the microphone control unit 432. The recording gain may be
determined according to the hand shake correction noise.

[0095]Alternatively, the recording gain may be determined by the hand
shake correction noise and noise input through the recording unit 430.
Alternatively, the recording gain may be determined according to at least
one of the hand shake correction noise, noise input through the recording
unit 430 and the zoom level of the zoom lens 451.

[0096]The control unit 500 may control the hand shake correcting unit 420
to reduce the hand shake correction noise when the recording unit 430
performs recording. To this end, the control unit 500 may receive the
hand shake signal and generate an operation signal for controlling the
hand shake correcting unit 420.

[0097]The control unit 500 may include a hand shake correction amount
calculating unit 510, an operation gain adjusting unit 520, and a
recording control unit 530.

[0098]The hand shake correction amount calculating unit 510 may calculate
a hand shake correction amount from the hand shake signal and the
operation detection signal which are converted into digital signals. The
operation gain adjusting unit 520 may adjust an operation gain of the
operating unit 421 to reduce the hand shake correction sound when sound
input through the recording unit 430 is recorded.

[0099]The recording control unit 530 may output a microphone control
signal for controlling a recording level of sound to be recorded. The
recording control unit 530 may control the operation gain adjusting unit
520 to adjust an operation gain when sound input through the recording
unit 430 is recorded.

[0100]The recording control unit 530 may determine a recording gain
according to at least one of a zoom level of the zoom lens, external
noise, and an operation gain. To this end, a gain database of an
operation gain and a recording gain that is determined according to at
least one of a zoom level and a noise level may be prepared in advance.

[0101]The gain database may be established experimentally in order to
improve a recording level of sound to be recorded and to reduce hand
shake correction sound. The digital image processing apparatus 400 may
further include the storage unit 460 storing the gain database.

[0102]The hand shake detecting sensor 411 may detect hand shake, convert
the detected hand shake into an angular velocity signal, amplify the
angular velocity signal, generate a hand shake signal, and transmit the
generated hand shake signal to the control unit 500. Since the hand shake
signal input to the control unit 500 is an analog signal, an
analog-digital signal converting unit 540 converts the analog signal into
a digital signal.

[0103]The control unit 500 may determine a hand shake correction amount
based on the hand shake signal and convert the hand shake correction
amount into an analog signal through the operation gain adjusting unit
520, the operation signal generating unit 530, and a digital-analog
converting unit 570 to generate an operation signal. The operating unit
421 is driven by the operation driving unit 424 according to the
operation signal, thereby operating a hand shake correction mechanism.

[0104]The operation detecting sensor 422 detects the position of the
operating unit 421 that is driven by the operation driving unit 424, and
the amplifier 423 amplifies the detected position to generate an
operation detection signal which is fed back to the control unit 500.
Next, the hand shake correction amount calculating unit 510 calculates
again the hand shake signal and the operation detection signal input
thereto to calculate a hand shake correction amount again and generate a
new operation signal. An analog-digital converting unit 550 converts the
operation detection signal, which is input to the control unit 500, into
a digital signal and the hand shake correction amount calculating unit
510 receives the digital signal from the analog-digital converting unit
550.

[0105]When the control unit 500 adjusts the operation gain in order to
drive the operating unit 421, the operation gain adjusting unit 520 may
be connected to the recording control unit 530 so that the operation gain
and the recording gain can be automatically compared and adjusted.

[0106]The operation gain affects a driving power or a driving method of
the operation driving unit 424 including the motor and thus affects a
level of operation sound generated when the operating unit 421 is driven.
Accordingly, the level of the operation gain directly affects the level
of the operation sound generated when the hand shake correction mechanism
operates.

[0107]The operation gain may become a gain of an actuator included in the
operation driving unit 424. For example, the operation gain may be a
servo gain, a loop gain, or a sensitivity gain. That is, each of these
gains may be a control gain required to control the hand shake correcting
unit 420.

[0108]The recording gain may be set by setting a gain of the microphone
431 through which sound is input. An adjustment range may be set by
setting a lower limit and an upper limit of the recording gain so that
the recording gain does not exceed the adjustment range. The recording
gain and the operation gain of the hand shake correcting unit 420 may be
set to be automatically compared and adjusted.

[0109]Accordingly, once the operation gain for controlling the operation
driving unit 424 is adjusted, the recording gain of the microphone 431
may be automatically adjusted. The operation gain and the recording gain
may be adjusted discretely according to preset steps.

[0110]The adjustment range of the recording gain may be greater than that
of the operation gain. In this case, the operation gain may be adjusted
in 10 steps from a step -5 to a step +5 (-5 ˜-1, 0, 1˜5), and
the recording gain may be adjusted in 20 steps from a step -10 to a step
+10 (-10 ˜-1, 0, 1˜10).

[0111]For example, if the operation gain is moved by one step in a
negative direction, since the recording gain can be adjusted in a more
steps, the recording gain may be moved by 2 steps in a negative
direction. That is, if the operation gain is adjusted in a negative
direction, the recording gain may be adjusted in a negative direction,
and if the operation gain is adjusted in a positive direction, the
recording gain may be adjusted in a positive direction.

[0112]Alternatively, if the operation gain is adjusted in a positive
direction, the recording gain may be adjusted in a negative direction,
and if the operation gain is adjusted in a negative direction, the
recording gain may be adjusted in a positive direction. The latter may be
used when if the operation gain is increased in a positive direction, a
driving power of the operation driving unit 424 is increased and
accordingly, operation sound is increased.

[0113]However, the present invention is not limited thereto and the size
of a gain adjustment range and the number of steps may vary according to
gain resolution. This may be determined by a designer.

[0114]The recording control unit 530 may determine the recording gain and
the operation gain by referring to the gain database stored in the
storage unit 460.

[0115]The operation gain may be input to the operation gain adjusting unit
520, and a signal according to a hand shake correction amount calculated
by the hand shake correction amount calculating unit 510 may be amplified
and input to an operation signal generating unit 560 to generate an
operation signal.

[0116]A microphone control signal including the recording gain may be
generated by the recording control unit 530 and input to the microphone
control unit 432, and a signal input by the microphone may be controlled
by the microphone control unit 432 according to the recording gain.

[0117]The digital image processing apparatus 400 of FIG. 4 can reduce hand
shake correction sound, which is caused by a hand shake correcting
operation and is not desired by the user, by controlling the hand shake
correcting unit 420 to reduce the hand shake correction sound when
recording is performed while the hand shake correction is performed.

[0118]Also, the digital image processing apparatus 400 of FIG. 4 can
reduce the hand shake correction sound by controlling the hand shake
correcting unit 420, and accordingly can adjust a recording level of
sound recorded by the microphone MIC. Also, the digital image processing
apparatus 400 can adjust a recording level by considering a zoom level
and external noise. Accordingly, the hand shake correction sound can be
reduced, and sound desired to be recorded by the user can be more clearly
input and recorded.

[0119]The various illustrative units, logics, logical blocks, modules, and
circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein
may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a
digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated
circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other
programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete
hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the
functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a
microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any
conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A
processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices,
e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of
microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP
core, or any other such configuration.

[0120]Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm described
in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly
in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a
combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash
memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk,
a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in
the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor,
such that the processor can read information from, and write information
to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be
integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, the processor and
the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may
reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the
storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or actions of a method or
algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of instructions on
a machine readable medium and/or computer readable medium.

[0121]While the present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in
form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.